Fire and Reign
by tellmethetruthLA
Summary: "Days of absence, sad and dreary, Clothed in sorrow's dark array, Days of absence, I am weary; She I love is far away." William Shakespeare
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I own nothing Twilight related. No money is made from this story nor do I claim any rights to anything other than details not created by Stephenie Meyer.**

**This story is half OOC and half Canon. I've taken certain liberties for certain reasons but some things remain the same. **

Chapter One

He stood majestically atop a hill, surveying the carnage below him. Dark pillows of violet smoke plumed toward the night sky as if escaping from the desolate scene were most important. There was no sound beyond my breathing and I did my best to keep it under control. I sat at his feet with my legs out in front of me as I lounged. Had the scenery been the ocean and beach my posture would have made more sense to anyone looking in from the outside.

Jasper was my love and love him I did. My beating heart meant nothing the moment I laid eyes on him. His face was streaked with smoke and pain but I was not deterred by the feral, animalistic emotions I saw underneath. His red eyes had roamed every available inch of my body as I stood still, waiting for him to break the skin along my neck…but he did not. Instead he had threaded a filthy hand through my dark hair and slowly pulled my head to the side. He ran his nose up and down my exposed neck ever so slightly. I had been his immediately.

I realized I loved him when we began to work as a team on the hunt. He didn't need me but watching me, effectively lure his dinner to him was arousing to the both of us. It was unheard of, a silly human helping a vampire earn his dinner but no one would dare speak ill against us for fear of losing their life.

"Bella." I turned my head north to look him in the eye. His eyebrows furrowed and he smirked in the most evil way. "I neglected to say earlier that you look stunning this evening."

The smell of roasting vampire assaulted my nose however I was more than used to the stench. "Thank you." I turned my head forward with a satisfied smile.

He extended a hand and helped me to my feet before brushing the loose grass and dirt from the back of my dress. I leaned into his solid chest, allowing him to dote on me and fully enjoyed the attention. It was intoxicating, his power.

"You must be famished," he suggested as we left the field of war behind.

"I could say the same for you my love."

His cool lips met the back of my delicate hand. I could feel his laugh against my warm skin. The nights were beginning to warm quickly which meant a new army. The previous army was nothing but ashes behind us.

"Maria suggested I start recruiting. The summer is almost here."

The last recruitment came to mind as I walked one step behind Jasper to our home. The thought of what I could do…what I would do for him made my skin flush. "I cannot wait."

"We will go tomorrow after dark." Jasper stopped and spun quickly. "I can _feel_ your need. It pleases me." His hands, cold and strong, grasped either side of my neck as I breathed in the scent of smoke and death on his firm skin.

"And what of Maria?" I asked in a gentle tone. A frown touched my lips just slightly.

"She does not decide what I do with you and when," he said with a low growl. "Let her test my patience."

Life with Maria and the newborns was hazardous to my health and had not been for Jasper; constantly guarding me my life would have been stolen long ago. We walked the remainder of our journey in silence. Jasper was often silent and I basked in his quiet confidence.

One night, just one ordinary night, everything changed.

I woke suddenly to hear a storm raging outside. My chest was heaving and I sat up in bed to try and calm my pulse. A streak of lightening crossed the window, lighting up the room. I saw her then, standing motionless and vengeful in the corner. She came toward me in the blink of an eye.

"Where's Jasper?" I asked with a sharp tongue.

"Jasper is not here to protect you sweet Bella. You are destined to a world of pain." Maria tilted her head back and forth as she spoke. "I've waited months for this moment. I knew he would leave you vulnerable sooner or later."

I narrowed my eyes and swung my feet over the side of the bed. My heart was a traitorous organ, beating wildly against my chest. "He will end you, Maria. If you end me, he will end you and all of your disgusting minions."

She _tsked_ me with a click of her tongue. Her smile was pure poison. "Do you think he loves you?"

I hesitated and she began to cackle.

"He's infatuated with your beating heart and the smell of your blood. When I take that away from you he will become bored and leave you behind. Jasper is a Major dear girl. He runs my army with precision and hate. He is so very valuable to me."

I stood from the bed with my fists curled at my sides in anger. "You are just jealous and it is eating you alive. You are his own kind and still he has no interest in you." The words left my mouth at such a rate I was almost spitting at her.

Maria rushed forward and grabbed me by the neck. My back collided with the wall behind my bed, knocking the breath from my lungs with a _whoosh_. Pain radiated from my rib cage, suggesting I had more than one fractured bone. She stared me in the face almost curiously.

"I will never understand why he let you live but tonight I make the decision for him."

I squirmed and fought against her stone grip. My will to live was kicking in.

"Goodnight Isabella. May your eternal sleep be restful and do not fear; I will care for your beloved."

Her grasp on my neck loosened but my vision had already begun to waver. I swept in and out of consciousness, waiting for the inevitable call of death. Instead, there was a commotion in the room though I hadn't realized Maria was no longer holding me down. My limbs were numb from lack of oxygen and my body felt broken. Even without her deadly kiss to my neck I would die from such injuries, only much slower. The noise around me was confusing so I tried to block it out as blood flow returned to my throat bringing the pain.

"Bella, can you hear me?" His voice was an angel's in my heightened sense of self.

There was no way for me to answer him. I was no longer in control of my own body. Jasper had come to my aid, just too late. I would die without ever seeing his crimson eyes again.

Then there was a burn.

My skin was on fire but it lasted very little time before sinking further in and settling in my bones. Surely I would be a pile of ash with the rage of warmth that was coursing through my body. I seized and convulsed with the immense agony the fire brought upon me. All thoughts of Jasper disappeared as I screamed, begging for death to take me. Perhaps I was in hell. Perhaps I was banished to eternal hell fire for abandoning my Mother and Father like I had.

I thought of my Mother's face in an attempt to quiet my calls for an end. She had been so angry with me for sneaking away in the middle of the night. My Father thought me kidnapped and murdered when my bed was found empty the next morning. When I returned home, my clothes tattered and my face dirty Father threatened a punishment with his belt. He demanded to know who had stolen my innocence, which had turned his sweet, obedient daughter into a common whore. His rant went on for twenty minutes while I stood and silently accepted all he had to say.

Jasper knocked on my door that same night in full Confederate garb and a conniving smile. My Mother called my Father and a verbal war ensued. I listened intently from the second landing. There was no shouting, just attacks thrown back and forth between the two men. When I was bored of eavesdropping I made myself known by descending the stairs and taking my place next to Jasper. My Father called him a devil, most likely because of his brightly colored irises.

"_You are against God," _My Father growled. _"Isabella, do you dare go against God?_"

Of course the answer to that is obvious. Jasper had taken my innocence and with it I had given him my loyalty. I was young, just seventeen. I went away him that night and never looked back. I had seen my eighteenth birthday with my vampire and never regretted a day.

The invisible flames were licking at my insides and I could no longer occupy myself with thoughts of my family. The pain was unbearable; so much so I blacked out. My dreams were an amalgam of the gruesome things I had witnessed to the smiling, loving face of my Mother. As my agony intensified, even the dreams stopped.

Time meant nothing to me any longer. I had regained consciousness just as the agony of being burned alive was ebbing. My heart was thundering along at an alarming speed and I could barely hear the voices in the distance over the sound. Slowly, the fire began to fade away and I could flex my fingers and toes. My nose was registering scents I had never been aware of before and I realized; Jasper had bitten me. I was changing into the very thing he destroyed. The heart in my chest was beginning to falter and the voices came closer. I recognized the second male voice as Peter, a rogue vampire who Jasper had allowed to escape with Charlotte. Charlotte was a newborn destined for extermination though spared by the very epitome of cruelty; Jasper. The newborns, though I was never allowed near them, feared and loathed my vampire equally.

I noticed Jasper's calming effect settling over my suffering body as my heart began to stutter and one of the most important organs in the human body slowly ceased to beat. There was no finality to the event because I had no need to breath or even move. I just was.

When I opened my eyes for the first time the world I was used to had disappeared. Everything was ornate with details, especially my Jasper. He stood, holding my gaze as I rose from the table in record speed. The action shocked me and I gasped. Peter shoved his wife, Charlotte behind him in a protective way. Jasper stood strong, a proud smile on his face.

"She is quite calm," he said without turning to Peter.

"What happened to me?" I didn't recognize my own voice. Jasper realized my surprise and moved closer to me.

"You are nothing like the newborns I have experienced, Bella."

Peter allowed Charlotte to move closer though he kept a close eye on us both. "She is remarkable, Jasper. Her control is impeccable."

"Thank you," I said to Peter with a bow of my head though it happened much faster than I expected.

All of my movements were accelerated. There was a catalog of questions and thoughts running through my mind and I had no issue keeping every one of them straight. Jasper brought a hand to my face and caressed the skin there ever so softly. His skin was warm and it was pleasant.

"I have never come across a woman like you. I should have known that your vampire self would astound me just the same." He brought my right hand to his lips and kissed me, never breaking eye contact.

"You changed me. Why did you change me? Where are we now?"

Jasper moved away and clasped his hands behind his back. "Maria has made all this possible, unfortunately. We will not be returning to Texas, my love."

I wanted to know everything right away but I knew Jasper did not work that way. He would release to me what I needed to know in good time. Charlotte gave me a timid smile as Peter and Jasper marveled over the extensive control I was administering.

"You must be ravenous," she suggested.

I had not been hungry until she mentioned the prospect. There was an uncomfortable burn in the back of my throat and I tried to recall the times I had helped Jasper in his quest for dinner. My human life was dull and fading even though I had only just been reborn.

Jasper stopped his conversation and turned to Charlotte and me. "Are you ready to hunt?"

I touched my throat daintily and nodded. "Yes, I believe I am."

A wicked smile crossed Jasper's face. "Peter, Charlotte." He nodded at both while gathering my hand in his. "Bella and I will return tomorrow. We'll be out for the evening."

Charlotte winked at me when we left. I could only guess how the night would go.

"The possibilities are endless, Jasper. You do not have to just accept things the way they are. There are other options, other ways." Peter was lying, with his eyes closed in an open field. The sun bounced off of him creating a prism effect on the small river I was wading in.

Jasper and I were struggling. He was having a hard time hunting and feeding without allowing all of the emotions of his victims to envelope him. I had taken to hunting with Charlotte because when Jasper lost control he forced all of those same emotions onto me. Peter had heard tales of covens up North that lived differently and though I agreed that Jasper needed some intervention, I did not like the idea of living with vampires again.

"How do we know if these _others_ can be trusted?" I lifted a stone from the waterbed and crushed it with no effort at all.

"Bella is right, Peter." Jasper flashed me a secret smile. "These covens, how do we know if we are welcome?"

Peter rushed to Jasper. "What have you got to lose?"

We all exchanged a silent look. Charlotte took my hand and led me away from the men. We walked at a normal pace through the ankle deep water.

"Do you think Jasper will go?" she asked politely. "He seems to be warring with himself over the idea."

I knew why he was hesitant. It was the same reason he was growing tired of living with Peter and Charlotte. We had spent an entire night, wrapped around each other and void of clothes while discussing our endless future. Jasper wanted to break away from his friends and continue on, just the two of us. He wanted to explore the things he had yet to know. I just wanted the look of doom and general unhappiness that crossed his face most days to go away. I wanted the powerful and self confident man that I had abandoned everything for to come back.

"I can't force him to do anything, Charlotte. You know that as well as I do. He will do what he thinks is best for us."

"Do you miss your human life?" She scaled a tree and sat gracefully on a thick branch.

I remained in the stream, watching the tiny slivers of sun breaking through the trees light my skin. "I cannot really remember my human life. I remember my Mother and Father. I remember that I loved Jasper. That's enough for me."

Charlotte smiled and jumped from her perch. She landed easily on her toes but splashed the water all over me anyway. She giggled and I narrowed my eyes at her.

"Now, now ladies. You do remember what happened last time Bella and you played around, don't you?" Peter chuckled as he came to a stop near his wife.

"I just do not know my own strength yet," I said, defending my prior actions.

Jasper lifted me from the stream and set me down next to him on the grass. I looked at him, asking him questions with my eyes.

"Bella and I are leaving tonight. We need to go off and settle into our own."

Charlotte and Peter nodded in understanding. I was excited at the prospect of spending my days with Jasper doing nothing but making love and roaming the world. There was a slight hitch in Jasper's statement though that I suspected had something do with the covens in the North. Without him saying so directly, I saw in his body language that he had decided to look for them.

Our journey to the northern part of the United States was uneventful. We stopped to hunt twice and as usual I spent the moments after consoling Jasper. The fear and death was getting to him. He stopped touching me and I was shattered. He was my world and quite literally all I had left in the world. Without him I would be lost.

We reached the city of Philadelphia at our own pace and for reasons unknown to me, Jasper held my hand as we walked the busy sidewalks. Maybe he expected me to kill one of the passersby and expose us for what we truly are. My throat was on fire and it was a battle to not take someone but I held myself together. I did not need to give my love another reason to push me away.

The city was full of scents and distractions which was pleasing to me. I had been squirreled away in Peter and Charlotte's cabin for so long, almost six months. When the sun began to set I felt the need to eat. Dinner would be easier to obtain but harder to hide in the city.

"There is so many of them," Jasper murmured as we watched people milling about on the sidewalks.

I surveyed the diner across the street, watching the door for candidates. "The diner is almost empty. It looks safe enough. Of course, I could go with you."

He turned to me. I hated the look of dread on his face. Jasper was not good with groups of humans but then again, I probably wasn't either. "Bella, you stay right here and I will take care of this."

"All right then."

He took a deep, unnecessary breath and then kissed me roughly against the cheek. I watched him slip across the street and into the diner. I could hear the bell above the door announcing his arrival. Through the window I could see him sitting, back straight, at the counter. His posture baffled me but then I noticed her, the tiny black haired vampire who had been watching Jasper since he walked through the front door. She left her table and slid onto the empty stool next to him. Before I knew what I was doing my feet were pounding the pavement, taking me toward the front door of that run down diner.

**A/N: Please take a moment to let me know what you thought. I appreciate feedback, very much. **

**tellmethetruth**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

The glass door separated from the catch and swung heavy, slamming against the back of the booth just inside. Everyone stopped what they were doing and glared at me in shock. Jasper was at attention, his hand slid so easily into the small vampire's grip. She looked confused and I wanted to say something but the fear of losing Jasper gripped my vocal chords like a vice. Rather than cause a scene I backed out the way I had barreled in with my eyes trained on the floor.

Once outside I backed against the wall in the alley next to the diner. My brain swam with questions and my heart, though quite dead and still, hurt. The scent of the stranger grew stronger and I panicked until I realized Jasper was with her.

"You're dead," she said, approaching me at vampire speed in the dark side street.

I blinked, not knowing what to say. Was it a threat or an observation?

She raised her hands to either side of her head in frustration. "I saw everything; you're supposed to be dead."

Jasper and I looked at one another over her head. "Maria," he hissed.

"This really complicates things. Is Maria still alive as well?"

Jasper nodded and moved to my side. "Bella, this is Alice. She has been waiting here for me."

"Just you?"

Alice held her hand out in a completely formal gesture. "Nice to meet you."

The three of us stood around in the alley looking and feeling awkward; as awkward as vampires could be. From what I could tell, I was supposed to die by Maria's hands and Jasper was supposed to find Alice…alone.

"We need to hunt," Jasper announced, breaking the silence between us all.

Alice looked uneasy and I stared her down. "Is there a problem?"

I was never very vocal, being such an easy going human but I was suddenly very territorial when it came to Jasper. Clearly she wanted him and I would give a good fight if she attempted to take him. We ran after that, an evening meal long forgotten. I was thirsty but I had far more questions for Alice that needed to be answered. Jasper and I followed her into the woods of Philadelphia where the events of our future began to fall into place.

"Jasper, you cannot hunt humans any longer. It is detrimental to your future." Alice spoke lightly as she hopped up on a downed tree to sit.

"What do you suggest then? I will not go hungry. What about Bella?"

Alice smiled and looked down at the two of us. "I cannot see Bella in anyone's future but I see you." Her gaze landed solely on my love. "You and I were meant to be together, Jasper. I know you have been having trouble with your emotions."

She jumped from the tree, landing gracefully in front of Jasper. I hissed and did nothing to stop the growl that formed deep in my stomach. He relaxed me against my will.

"I can take us to others that will show you a new way." She reached to caress his face and he let her.

I was angry and hurt over the way the evening was turning out. Jasper was enthralled with the possibility of living another way. He wanted so badly to live without the pain and agony of his past and his victims. I could not fault him for that but how dare Alice think she had him all figured out. I was there when he was top of the army, making ash and violet out of thousands in no time at all.

It surprised me that I had recalled a human memory.

"Jasper?" I called his name as a question and he pushed Alice's hand away.

He came to me and took both my hands. "Bella has been my companion for some time now, Alice." His red eyes met mine and I saw myself then.

"He has always been mine," I answered. "I loved him when no one else did, when his actions did not mirror the man he is inside."

"Will you still show us another way?" He asked Alice without bothering to look away from me.

Alice was silent. I knew how important it was for Jasper to make his own path even if I had no desire to live among others. "Alice, if you have any compassion at all, please take us to this coven."

She agreed with a tight nod though it was clear she did not like the idea of me coming along. The questions stopped then as we were all processing just what sort of journey lay ahead of us. There was also the matter of the dinner we had skipped in the city. Jasper was beginning to show signs of being highly irritated.

"We need to hunt," I spoke with a wavering voice. Jasper looked relieved.

Alice stayed right where she was as we raced away, holding hands. We traveled toward a cluster of lights where humans were sure to live. Jasper seemed preoccupied and elsewhere, more so than usual.

"What do we do about this?" I finally questioned him.

"Alice can see the future, or certain events in the future. She told me she saw you die that night in your bedroom and you disappeared after that. She assumed you were buried and gone."

"What does any of that matter?" I spat with a slight growl. "You and I are one, Jasper. That is the way it has been since I joined you."

We did not fight often and the fact that we were disagreeing when we needed to remain united pissed me off in ways I had never experienced. When I was human, Jasper catered to me and protected me. Being a vampire had brought along a change and I would not let that tiny, annoying woman walk all over me. I wanted to protect him from her and whatever it was that she wanted to leave me behind for.

Jasper watched the street in front of use. The foot traffic was light but present. "Bella, you really need to calm down."

"How can I be calm? Tell me what it is we are searching for. If I have to travel with her then I want to know why. What is so special about the covens here?"

Jasper stood to his full height and turned until he towered over me. "Alice says that this family she has seen in her visions has golden eyes. She said they hunt and drink from animals instead of humans."

I looked at him in disbelief. How could I ever survive on an animal's blood? Furthermore, how would Jasper do such a thing? "That sounds completely ludicrous."

"We have to trust Alice."

My face contorted and I stopped running to stare at him. "_Trust _Alice? You cannot be serious. Jasper, you have never trusted another vampire outside of Peter."

He gave me a look that dared me to question him. "Bella, we are going with Alice and that is the end of this discussion. I do not mean to go against your wishes in any way but I believe her when she says there is a better life for us."

His sincerity touched me and so I touched his face lightly with my hands. "It means so much to you; I can see that now."

"You know better than anyone the agony I endure just for nourishment."

I had seen and felt his pain many times though mostly by accident. That was the reason we were in the Northeast in the first place. We hunted that night; we hunted and took down a human each for the last time. It was bittersweet for me because I felt like a part of Jasper would be lost. The morbid nature of his previous life would always remain with me, deep down and in my heart. After all, he was that person when I fell in love with him.

"I will do anything you need me to do, Jasper. You have my word." I stated, finishing the conversation that had begun before our hunt.

He nodded once in understanding before leaping easily up a tree to stare off into the night. Alice had been right where we left her when we returned. I admit, my insides curled in on themselves when I saw her. The way she looked at Jasper caused rage to ball tightly in my stomach and I was far too young a vampire to control that for too long.

"Run with me?" She asked.

"If you'd like."

She took off and I followed her with ease. She was so tiny and could run fast but I was younger. I passed her a few times and had to double back though she didn't ever seem to mind. Her control was impeccable.

"Have you and Jasper married?" Alice asked stopping gracefully in a clearing.

I surveyed, making sure we were far enough from Jasper to speak freely. "No we have not discussed marriage. We never discussed me turning but here I am." I tried to keep the hate for Maria clear of my emotions.

"Have you made love?"

"I thought you could see things like that."

She shook her head. "I can see into the future but it is entirely based on decisions. I was unaware that you existed until I had the vision of Jasper leaving Maria and coming north. I saw…well I saw many things but you were not present."

The tone in her voice made me feel unwelcome; like I was trespassing in her life. "What else did you see?"

"Bella, those things do not matter now."

"They do matter because it is apparent you are in love with my mate and that does not sit well with me."

Alice blinked but did not deny my accusations. "I saw him in love with me. He looked at me the way he looks at you. _You_ are not supposed to be here. Now tell me, have you made love with Jasper?"

"He took me as his when I was human." The memories that surrounded that night were fuzzy but I could remember being terrified and thrilled all at the same time. My emotions influenced his and I almost didn't make it out alive.

"This is new for me. I have not been blind to anyone before. In my visions you do not exist." She seemed frustrated though she kept her cool.

"So…you have no idea of what will happen when we find this coven?"

She looked away. "I know what will happen when Jasper and I find the coven."

That was the problem. I was the wildcard in the situation and Alice was uncomfortable with that. There was no way to know how the new vampires would react to me.

"What do you suggest we do, Alice?"

Her face softened and she moved closer to me. "If you are who Jasper loves than I will accept that but what if he loves me one day? What will you do then?"

"How is that relevant?" The rage was back.

"Perhaps it is not relevant at all but it is a possibility." Her expression looked thoughtful. "Tell me, Bella. How did Jasper keep you alive while still hunting humans?"

"Where is your faith in the man you swear is destined for you?" I cried loudly. "You talk about him like he belongs to you yet you have doubts about his ability to exist around humans?"

Alice was taken aback at my outburst. Of course, Jasper heard the commotion and appeared but he let us continue.

"His control falters, Bella. That is his whole reasoning for finding a different way."

"Did it ever occur to you, Alice that Jasper loves me and that love kept me human?

I was met with silence and then she was gone.

**Two Years Later…**

"Are you sure this is where we'll find them?" I asked Alice, agitated.

"Easy, Bells." Jasper kissed the back of my hand and smiled in my direction. "Alice is doing her best."

Alice is doing her best. I'd heard that statement so many times in the past seven hundred forty one days that the sound of the words leaving anyone's mouth made my brain seize. There had been quite a bit of false hope and animosity in the time that we had spent traveling with Alice. Jasper had taken a place as peace keeper because Alice and I were not best friends. We tolerated one another to the best of our abilities.

"Wait," Alice stopped us with a flick of her wrist. "They will know we're coming. The male without a mate will know our minds."

Jasper looked at me. "It's now or never."

"Let's go."

Alice emerged in the expansive front yard first, followed by Jasper and I, who were holding hands. She was right as usual, apart from my existence that is. They were gathered as a family on the porch of their house. They eyed Alice as she crossed the damp grass, surer of herself than I'd seen since the moment I met her.

"We follow your diet. I'm Alice."

I could hear her quiet conversation with the blonde male who introduced himself as Carlisle. His mate was Esme. He also pointed out Rosalie and Emmett, both of which gave Jasper and I a smile. Edward, he was the mind reader Alice warned us about and he was also the most unhappy looking of them all.

A growl rose in Jasper's throat and I tensed. "Tell him to take his eyes off of Bella."

Carlisle turned and gave Edward a look. Edward turned his eyes to the ground with a slight snarl.

"Where are you from?" Esme asked Jasper rather than me. She sensed his need to protect me from them and handled his apprehension perfectly.

"Texas," Jasper answered with a slight drawl, "Although we met Alice along the way."

Carlisle looked around at his family, which I still found odd and then invited us in. Jasper, Alice and I exchanged a look. The moment we had been working toward had finally come.


End file.
